Bryce Harper is known for his hardcore style of playing but this time his alertness betrayed him as the youngster slammed into the right-field scoreboard as the Washington Nationals were up 6-0 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Harper races back to the wall and as he sees the ball fly over his head he turns and bangs off the scoreboard. He laid motionless on the ground and waited for his team's staff to race in for help. A.J. Ellis, the Dodgers catcher was at bat in the bottom of the fifth and he cruised into third base as Denard Span tracked down the ball getting it back into the infield avoiding an inside the park home run.
In live video of the injury, it is unclear where the blood is coming from, but it's possible that Harper cut himself on his chin. There was a patch of dirt on his forehead, but that was probably there after falling to the ground following the hard contact with the scoreboard.
It was new territory for Harper. He made his MLB debut in Dodger Stadium, but he played center field last year. Harper was used to the padding from the wall in center rather than the metal protecting the scoreboard in right field.
Harper is one of the brighter stars in the majors. He is admired for playing hard by veterans in the league, but reality is that if Harper wants to stay in this game for a long time, he will have to be smarter on the field. It was 6-0, Nationals up, and their best pitcher on the mound. Harper's effort is admirable, but he might want to keep his eye on fences so he won't end up like former Philadelphia Phillie and San Francisco Giant Aaron Rowand.
Click here for the video of Harper running into the scoreboard.. Hopefully the youngster is okay. We'll followup on his condition.
